Cuomo, GOP winners in Albany’s big deals

ALBANY — Seven casinos, a cut in one of the biggest government costs facing taxpayers, more convictions of career criminals and a far more promising outlook for Republicans are results of the wheeling and dealing that ended early Thursday morning in Albany.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is declaring victory, while his Republican allies in the Senate, who faced oblivion just two years ago, scored major wins to give the party a powerful, longer life in the increasingly blue state.

The deals create a new pension tier for future local and state workers that’s supposed to save government $80 billion over 30 years, while avoiding a threat of insolvency.

And Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. calls the expansion of the state’s DNA database a life-saving tool for law enforcement.